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No one really seems sure how or why they started, or who is meant to be thanking who. Then, there is also the question of when the lines were blurred, and honour was no longer a prerequisite to embark on the walk around the pitch.

There was nothing honourable about Liverpool’s lap in May 2010, having just handed Chelsea the Premier League title with a display as anodyne as their season in general, and with Rafael Benitez saying goodbye to empty seats and seething faces.

Two years later, Chelsea were the opposition again in the final home game of the campaign. A little bit more honour this time – a trophy won, another lost – but no less galling, as the London club had beaten the Reds in the FA Cup final four days previous. They were also on their way to Munich to win the Champions League.

And, for the second time in three seasons, a manager did a circuit of the Anfield pitch for the last time. Kenny Dalglish would be sacked just over a week later.

Strange lap-of-honours are not just limited to Liverpool, of course. The images from the Etihad Stadium on Sunday were widely mocked, as few fans waited to say goodbye to Manuel Pellegrini, the man who brought the league title back to City in 2014. Who knows what awaits Roberto Martinez on Sunday after his Everton side face Norwich, after the past few weeks have seen fan discontent grow.

No such problem for Liverpool on Wednesday. Yet again Chelsea are the visitors, but this will be different. No chants of “you’re ancient history” from the away end, as there was in 2010; no reference to winning the European Cup, as there was in 2012.

Instead, it will be the Kop that crows, their impending trip to Basel something to shout about. They will also finish higher than last season’s champions, their season far more successful than their London counterparts.

Golden Sambas for Coutinho and Can

Not that Liverpool fans will care about that sort of thing. For them, it will be a celebration of a season that had promised so little but now has the prospect of bringing so much. A first European final since 2007, a first European trophy since 2005, and a run to Switzerland that has rekindled a fire that has been extinguished since the title capitulation of 2014.

How different it will be as the fans wish the players good luck ahead of their clash with Sevilla. Philippe Coutinho and Emre Can will be handed the Golden Sambas – fan awards voted for by a prominent supporter forum – for player and young player of the season, but they will not be the only recipients of admiration from all four sides.

Heroes have emerged in this Europa League run. Who would have thought Dejan Lovren would be front and centre of this campaign, his towering header against Dortmund woven into the tapestry? Who could have guess Kolo Toure would enjoy the hottest of Indian summers, or Adam Lallana would find a rhythm to Klopp’s heavy metal beat?

Those three, plus plenty more, will be given a stirring send-off on Wednesday. The time might creep past 10pm, but the fans will stay and bid them bonne chance in Basel.

How different it is from the previous two lap-of-honours after Chelsea. Jurgen Klopp will remain at the club, for starters, and will do so with the full support of both the fans and the owners. He does so like Dalglish, with two cup finals reached in one season, but this is entirely different scenario.

Indeed, how different it will be to last season’s send-off. That was just about one man, a club who felt as if its only real hero was departing. The last of the leaders, leaving for Hollywood.

On Anfield’s final home game last season, Steven Gerrard faced Crystal Palace. The rest of the squad felt no more than an afterthought, the supporting cast to the starring man. After the game – a 3-1 defeat – Gerrard was asked a question about the direction of the club under Brendan Rodgers. A collective wince followed.

Only one question will be asked on the Kop on Wednesday night.

How much did it cost for you to get to Basel?

The response will be met with another wince, for an entirely different reason.

Still, out of pocket is better than out of the picture - and Liverpool, Klopp and its emerging heroes, have thrust themselves right back into it.